I just realized this thread does not have my whisky tasting post in it, where it should reside.... After all, we were tasting Canadian Whisky.

Originally Posted By: michael_d

Last summer, I bought a new truck in Idaho and drove it back to Alaska, through Canada (duh). I picked up a few bottles of whisky that are not exported to the US. Five friends and I sampled all of them last week, along with a couple you can find in the US. One whisky we sampled is a Wisers 18 YO. You'll notice two bottles of this whisky in the photo, one is an exported bottle, the other bottle I bought in Canada.

Each of us had two small and identical tasting glasses. We'd pour about .5 oz for tasting samples and without any real rigor, just move down the line of bottles, taking some informal notes on flavor, finish, smell, mouth feel, etc...

We then ranked each from 1 - 11 in preferential order. All of our rankings were then tabulated to find out the overall ranking from 1 - 11. Of interest, is that all of our rankings were quite close. In no case were any of our rankings greater than two spots up or down from anyone else. In other words, my #3 was at most a #1 or #5 on anyone else's ranking.

Interestingly, the Wiser's 18 YO that I brought back to the states was unanimously better than the import. It just tasted different, when drinking side by side.

The Crown XR is the one distilled at the Waterloo plant that burnt to the ground, sadly. The XR you normally see in liquor stores today comes in a blue box, and has a blue band at the neck. The Waterloo comes in a red box and has a red band at the neck. We have tried both of the XR's side by side before. They are different. The blue bottle tends to have a smoother finish, but lacks the character that the red bottle has.

The Gibson's Maple is nothing like the Crown Royal Maple that really has no place in this world other than on waffles... It is much, much better. Just a hint of maple and very smooth. (I hate the CR maple).

The Pike Creek was the unanimous favorite. Everyone ranked it #1. This whisky has so much going on, it's a real treat to sip. The Lot 40 is a whisky that also has great character. It is distilled each year, hence the vintage. It is by far, the best bang for the buck. Good luck finding it though.

Tried the Lot 40 recently. It (to me) has a spicier flavour than the other ryes I've tried...it's hard to say, for me anyway, which I prefer overall. Sometimes I prefer one taste over another and vice-a-versa on a different day. Haven't tried many on Michael's list, but I concur with his and his fellow testers on the Pike's Creek.

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Half of communication is listening. You can't listen with your mouth.

Just bought some new Forty Creek Honey Spiced, almost seems like a desert liquor to me...very tasty sweet honey and brown sugary taste with a touch of vanilla. First rye I would consider drinking straight, very nice!!

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Half of communication is listening. You can't listen with your mouth.